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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

ISAAC M. GATTMAN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIOjASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND H. G. STEIBEL,

OF SAME PLACE.

BRICK-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 29,036, dated July 3, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Isaac M. GATTMAN, of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Brick-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and complete description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

Figure l is a perspective view of my improved brick machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same by a plane dividing the double hopper and the reciprocating plunger through their centers. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of a horizontal plane dividing all the working parts through their centers.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the drawings.

My invention consists in a combination of mechanism by which bricks are rapidly formed under high pressure from untempered clay, and by which the bricks after being formed are delivered from the machine by a means which at the same time smooths their surfaces, giving them a finished outer appearance.

A is a substantial metal frame supported upon a suitable foundation by standards (a).

B is a driving ulley which receives mo tion from any su cient motor by belt, and imparts motion to the working parts of the machine by pinion C upon its shaft (d). Pinion C gears into the large gear wheel upon shaft b). The shaft (o) carries upon its inner end a bevel gear wheel E, which engages with the bevel gear wheel F upon shaft (c). The 4shafts (d, Z), 0,) all lie in the same horizontal plane and the shafts (b) and (c) have a uniform velocity. The shafts are all supported in journal boxes elevated by standards c e e from the frame A.

H is a plunger.

I is a slide.

J J are lateral slides moving in directions at right angles with Athe motion of plunger H and slide I when the machine is in motion as will be described.

K K are the two parts of a double hopper by which untempered clay is supplied to the machine.

L L are brackets firmly secured to frame A and supporting two corners of top plate M. These are stanch and well fastened for the purpose of affording resistance to the thrust of plunger H acting upon the clay in the formation of bricks, as will be minutely explained. The top plate M extends back for some distance from the front of the machine resting upon the slides J J and secured likewise by screw bolts. to a shelving lip upon the top of standards N N. These standards N N and the corresponding standards O O extending from frame A to top plate M and secured firmly to both, inclose plunger H and slide between their respective inner faces and confine them laterally in their true position.

The plunger H and slide I are constructed with transverse rectangular spaces or openings in which cams (f f) upon the shaft (b) operate, giving a due reciprocating motion to each part. The lateral slides J J are constructed with like spaces, in which cams (g g) upon the ends respectively of shaft operate, giving a due reciprocating motion to the slides, though at right angles with the motion of the plunger H and slide I. The lateral slides J J are also constructed each with an additional rectangular opening, of a vertical length or dimension equal to the length of a brick, and of a breadth equal to the width of a brick added to the thickness-of the slide I, the slide I being in a position to abridge the space to the true width of a brick and thus form the mold therefor, at a proper time in the operating process, to be hereafter described.

In Fig. 2 the length and thickness of the brick mold is seen in the spaces indicated by (i i) and the same letters indicate the width thereof in Fig. 3. As will now be understood the mold is defined upon its ends or upper and lower surfaces, by portions of the upper and lower inner surfaces of the rectangular spaces which have been described in J J. The edges are defined one of them by a vertical surface of the same rectangular opening and the other by the side face of slide I as shown in Fig. 3. The wider faces of the molds are bounded one of them by the interior surface of brackets L and the other by the end faces of plunger H. The face plates of brackets L L are perforated through for the escape of air expelled from the interstices of the clay in the process of compression to be described.

The operation of my improved brick machine is as follows: The parts having been put in motion by a sufficient power applied by belt through pulley B, untempered clay is supplied to the machine through double hopper K K. In the position of the working-parts represented in the sectional drawings, the part K of the double hopper opens downwardly into an area somewhat larger than the true dimensions of the mold for a brick, made thus by the temporary withdrawal of the plunger H. Into this area or space the clay from the hopper escapes until it is entirely filled, while any excess of clay not accommodated in the area will stand above, to be cut off by the return of the plunger H. The cam f, see Fig. 2, now encountering the appropriate inner face of the rectangular space in plunger H causes it to close upon the clay contained in the area, compressing it gradually but powerfully until all the clay contained in the area which has been described, is forced into the compass defined as the brick mold at this point the cam (f) will stand with its long point in a horizontal line with the center of its shaft (b) while the cam (f) having been carried around by the same shaft now encounters, upon the reverse side of shaft (b) an inner face of its rectangular space in slide I, causing the slide to be withdrawn from its position, inclosing one edge of the brick, thus opening the mold. Y

- At the precise point in the revolution of the parts, when the slide I is wholly withdrawn from its position against the edge of the brick, still supposed to be contained in the rectangular space (i), the cam (g) upon the shaft (c) will have traversed around in its rectangular space in slide J, until the long point thereof will encounter the vertical surface of the space, being the side or face thereof, opposite to the one with which it is represented as in contact in the drawings, there, acting upon slide J it causes the slide to be withdrawn a distance equal to the traverse of the cam or the length of its throw, and that is just sufficient to withdraw the completely formed brick from its position between the inner face of bracket L, and the plunger H outwardly to a position precisely opposite to the end face of slide I, or to the position corresponding with that indicated by red lines at the opposite end of the slide I. At this point in the process the slide I which has been described as withdrawn to afford space for the withdrawal of the brick by the slide J is again acted upon by its cam to be returned to its original position carrying the now wholly released brick, or sliding it by its end action forward into the position indicated by the rectangular figure in red lines. From thence it may be removed from the machine by attendants. In the meantime plunger I-I which has been last described as exerting its pressure upon the ybrick in mold (i) has been withdrawn by its cam, leaving the area first described into which hopper K opens. During the same time likewise the slide J has been returned by its cam (g) to the position in which it was'rst found being the same as that represented in the drawings. The area beneath the hopper K will now be again filled with clay from above, the plunger H be actuated by its cam as before, the slide I be withdrawn in proper time and the slide J will again withdraw the completely formed brick to be disposed of precisely as before, the parts all returning to the original position again, the same as represented in the drawings, the motions all being accomplished b one revolution respectively of the shafts (ElY and (c) carrying the cams (f f) and g g.

I have described the operation of the machine in forming bricks while but one half of its operative capacity is employed. All the parts motions and results which have been described as pertaining to that part of the machine whose operation has been explained, have an exact correspondence in parts, motions and results upon the side of the machine opposite thereto, the plunger I-I and slide I performing the same offices with their other ends, as has been explained with reference to the ends or parts to which attention has been directed, the two sides of the machine having a like construction and the slide J performing all the duties that have been attributed to slide J. 'Iwo bricks are thus formed with every revolution of the shafts (b) The motion of the plunger and of the slides is arranged to take place appropriately in succession at the relative times and in the order required, by the proper adjustment of the respective cams upon the shafts and (c). So that each moving part having due position and due motion with reference to each and every other moving part of the machine the respective office of each is successively performed, and the utmost celerity in the operation of molding is attained.

It will be observed that the brick after being formed is subjected by the action and motion of the different parts of the machine to a smoothing or troweling action, by which all the surfaces of the brick are rendered comparatively smooth and finished. But for the more perfect finish of one edge of the brick, affording a perfect weather face the cams upon the shaft (L) that is cams (f are so arranged with reference to each other upon the shaft, as that the slide I begins to be moved by its cam f in a direction which has been described as withdrawing while the plunger H is exerting its utmost pressure upon the clay which is to constitute the perfectly formed brick. By this means the edge of the brick which is in contact with the lateral ksurface of sliderI is subjectedto the rubbing influence of its smooth surface at the saine time that it is under heavy pressure from the action of plunger H. It thus receives a finish amounting almost to a luster and such as could not be imparted to it by any other process of molding bricks known to me. The faces of the rectangular openings against which the cams Work may be cased with steel and if desirable, to obviate friction to a considerable extent, the points of the cams may be furnished with rollers to act upon the respect-ive surfaces of the rectangular spaces in the slides and plunger.

It Would obviously be easy to substitute a system of cranks and pitmen to give motion to the plunger and slides, in place of the cams Which I have described; I therefore do not Wish to be understood as conlining my description to thel use of the latter 20 exclusively.

Havinofully described my invention, what I c aim as new, .and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1.The plunger I-I slide I and lateral slides J J arranged and operating in combination substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The shafts (b) and (c) at right angles bevel Wheels E F and cams (f f g g) or their equivalents in connection With plunger I-I slide I and lateral slides J J arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ISAAC M. GATTMAN.

Iitnessesz IVM. CLOUGH, CHARLES L. FISHER. 

